Alice's Return
by SwiftlyTaylor
Summary: After returning home from another country, Alice returns and after a horrible encounter, she finds herself back in Wonderland. When an unknown person sneaks in and kidnaps Alice, what lengths will she go through to save herself, her love, and her World.
1. Chapter 1

Alice knocked on the doors of 114 Samberset Avenue, waiting for someone to open up. She flattened her skirt and ran a hand through her hair.

Two years. Two whole years without seeing her mother and she was nervous. Staying at Penelope's house helped her with her addiction to alcohol, but it wasn't enough to fully cure the pain of leaving. Alice had spent two years staying at Penelope's house, away from everyone. Her mother and sister were so worried that they couldn't just leave her.

Alice knocked again, just incase nobody heard her the first time. In an instant, Helen, Alice's mother, opened the door and pulled Alice into a tight hug.

Alice chuckled and said, "Hello Mother. It's been a while." She wrapped her arms around her mother's shouldres and squeezed.

Helen released Alice from the embrace and kissed her cheeck. "I've missed you, my daughter. How was Penelope's house? I imagine it is bigger than it was when we visited her a few years ago."

Alice smiled. "Oh yes. It was nice and roomy, but it got lonely at times and I missed home. It is better to be here than over there. I already feel at home." Alice dropped her bag on the table in the hallway and walked back over to her mother. "I don't suppose you have tea, do you?"

Helen smiled and grabbed Alice's hand and steered her onto the terrace.

"... and she dropped the cat and screamed on the top of her lungs!" Alice laughed and her mother joined along.

"Oh that must have been wonderful! It is always fun to play a joke on someone else," countered Helen.

"Oh yes!" Alice looked at the woods and got a sudden falling feeling in her stomach. Seven years.

_Seven years. Seven years._

The words kept repeating in her ears. She must not think of that place. That wonderful place with the talking flowers and disappearing cats and the wonderful, orange-haired hat- No! She shook her head. She mustn't think of the wonders of the world.

The rabbit hole was destroyed. Gone. Her over-protective sister filled it. The hole is gone and she will never be able to visit it again.

"So, sweetheart," Helen interupted Alice's thoughts. "How have you been?"

"What? Oh. I have been good! I told you, Penelope took great care of me over there!" Alice almost smiled.

"No, love. I mean how have you _really_ been. I mean after the whole... uh... situation?" Helen stared intently at Alice.

"Oh. Well, I haven't been able to erase the memories. I know you don't believe about the rabbit hole, but I believe. I have been there and I've seen all of the creatures!" Alice sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Alice, sweetheart," Helen began, "...How do I put this? Well. It's not real. When you ran into the woods, you bumped your head really hard on a branch. You imagined that 'world'. For God's sake, Alice! You're twenty-five! You shouldn't be believing in fairytales at this age!"

"Mother... Don't..." Alice started getting tears in her eyes.

Helen felt sympathetic towards Alice for yelling at her and said, "Oh, love! Don't cry. I am sorry. You just returned from another country and this is how I treat you! How should I make things better? How about a party! A grand old party! Oh! I better start calling the families!"

Just as Alice was about to tell her mother that she didn't want a party, she walked away to go inside and left her outside on the terrace. Alice sighed and got up from her seat and walked to the front of the yard where she saw her old neighbors. They had aged and became old-looking. She felt horrible for leaving for two years.

Alice retreated inside and grabbed her hand bag from the table in the hall. As she passed the kitchen, she heard her mother on the phone with some other woman.

"Yes! Oh Alice will be so excited to dance with Jeremy! Oh yes! Yes, that is seven tonight."

Alice walked up the staircase and into her old bedroom. It smelled of mothballs and despair. She put her luggage on the queen-sized matress and began unpacking. This will be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Alice sat on her bed, smoothing out her blue strapless dress. The party had started an hour ago and she sat in her room all alone. There were hundreds of people downstairs and outside, and she was afraid of mingling with them.

If only _he_ was here. _He_ would know how to entertain the crowd. _Him_ and his curly, orange hair and- STOP! Alice pinched herself to stop thinking about him.

"Alice! Alice! Where are you?" Her mother's voice rose throughout the upper part of the house.

"In here, Mother!" Alice stood from the bed and smoothed out her dress. She put some gloss on her lips and went to open the door.

As Alice grabbed the door knob, Helen did also. Helen opened the door and it swung open and hit Alice in the forehead.

"Ow!" Alice clutched her forehead and sat back down on the bed.

"I am so sorry, Alice! I didn't mean to! I am so sorry!" Helen sat down next to Alice and rubbed her head.

"It's okay, Mother. It doesn't really hurt." Alice got up and looked in the mirror and touched the spot near her hairline. "It isn't bruising, so that's a good sign." She turned back around and faced her mother. "I'll be down in a minute."

Helen nodded at Alice and left through the door. Alice returned to the mirror and fixed her disheveled hair. She sighed and said, "Well... they're waiting."

Alice walked through the hallway, getting closer to the stairs. She heard her mother talking to other guests.

"She will be coming down soon. Don't worry. Yes, she is very happy to see you too!"

Alice sighed once more and began walking down the stairs. Everyone turned to look as the gorgeous girl, with her high ponytail and sparkly dress, casually walked down and gave fake smiles to everyone. Some people starting applauding and a few even whistled. That made Alice chuckle and wave. When she hit the floor, everyone resumed with the party and at least five men came up to ask if they could dance with her.

"Oh. That's really sweet, but not right now. I want ... uh... some punch right now. Maybe in a little bit." She smiled sympathetically and walked into the kitchen. She poured a glass of seltzer. Margaret, Alice's sister, walked up to her and scowled at her. "What?" Alice looked confused.

"'What?' You turned those boys down for a dance! Dance with them!" Margaret stared at Alice intently.

"Why?" Alice chugged the rest of her seltzer and set her glass down to refill it.

"Are you serious, Alice? You are twenty-five years old and you don't even have a fiancee! You need to get married! There are plenty of guys here that are willing to marry a beautiful girl like you, you just have to find them." Margaret pushed Alice into a boy around the same age as her. He spilled her drink on her shoes.

"Oh, Ms. Kingsleigh! I am so sorry! Here, let me clean your shoes!" The boy bent down but Alice touched his shoulder as if a way to tell him to stop.

"No, it's quite all right. I will just change them upstairs." Alice exchanged a look with the boy. "And you can call me Alice."

"Alice. I like it. My name is Brandon. Would you care to dance?" The boy held out his arm as a gesture to hold her hand.

"I would but my shoes are quite sticky right now. I shall go upstairs and change my shoes and I will come down and take you up on that offer." Alice smiled at the boy and he nodded.

Alice ran upstairs thinking that maybe he could be the one she will marry. She doesn't really have a connection with him, but he would do. It could make it so that she could get his mind off _him_. Alice walked into her room and kicked off her shoes. She went into her wardrobe and picked out a strappy pair of sandals.

Margaret walked into the room and sat down on Alice's bed. "So...?"

"Margaret what do you want now?" Alice growled.

"Woah. Calm down, Ali. I was just asking if that boy was fiancee material. And yes, I was watching." Margaret had a sly smile on her face.

"Margaret. Stop." Alice unsuccessfully put the sandal on, undid it, and tried again.

"What? You didn't like him? I saw a connection there! I thought maybe he was the one."

"Seriously, Margaret. I told you already. I have someone I like. Someone who is waiting for me."

"What are you talking about?" And then it clicked in Margaret's head. "Alice! I told you that that place is not real! Get this into your mind! You are never going back to that place because you were never there in the first place!"

"Stop. Please. Just... Stop." Alice sat down on her bed, shoes all ready, but unable to leave. "Please. Just... Go. I'll be back down in a second."

Margaret shrugged and walked back down the stairs. It took a few moments to get Alice back on her feet, but she did it. She walked back down and over to Brandon.

"Hello, Brandon." Alice curtsied and smiled. "Are you still willing to dance with me?"

"Always," Brandon answered. His smile matched hers, but there was one difference: his was real.

As they waltzed, people were staring. Margaret was smiling and Helen had a curious look on her face. The curious look morphed into a sincere smile and she was happy for her daughter.

When their dance was over, one of Brandon's friends came over to talk to them. He patted Brandon on the shoulder and looked Alice up and down.

"Wait a second. Is this the famous Alice Kingsleigh?" Brandon's friend looked between him and Alice.

Alice nodded and Brandon answered, "Yes, Harold. This is the beautiful Alice Kingsleigh."

Alice blushed and felt important when she was called that.

"No, that's not what I said. I asked if she was the 'famous' one. And are you serious, Brandon? The _Kingsleigh_? You know, the one with the imaginary world. The one that's the loon? The one that's crazy?"

That struck a nerve. Alice's eyes started to water and she looked at Brandon. He looked at her and back to Harold.

"What do you mean 'imaginary world'?" Brandon had pure confusion in his eyes.

"You seriously don't know? This loon of a girl thinks theres another world inside a hole in the ground. She's _mad_!"

That struck the nerve and ripped it to shreds. She looked at Brandon and he let go of her arm and looked at her like she was crazy. But the thing that hurt the most was that he called her _mad._

Tears streamed down her face and she ran outside. Pushing people out of her way, she made her way to the woods. She looked around and found the rabbit hole that was caved in from the dirt. She sat down and pounded at the dirt.

"Why is this so hard? Why can't I live a normal life? I know your real!" Tears fell from her eyes and because of that, she thought she was seeing things. She saw a bright light coming from the hole. She leaned over and looked at the light.

It was only a small light, but Alice had hope. She started digging at the light, but the more she dug, the smaller the light got. She began to cry again.

She heard leaves rustling from behind her and figured it was her mother coming to comfort her.

"Go away. I am not in the mood to talk," Alice said, her back to the noise.

The noise started getting closer to her. "I told you I didnt wa-" Alice stopped mid-way in her sentence when she noticed she was face-to-face with a bear.

Alice knew better then to scream, because she knew that would upset the bear. But as the bear inched closer, she became more and more frightened. She tried inching backwards to get away from it.

The bear saw her movements and growled. Loud. She screamed and fell backwards into the rabbit hole. The ground broke free and she was falling.

_A/N: So hey guys! The first chapter wasn't really a chapter, but it was like a background story. Personally, I think it isn't that great so far-BUT DON'T WORRY! It will get better! I promise! Once I get enough reviews, I will post the chapter up so please, please, PLEASE review it! It will make my day. 'Kay love you guys. 3_


	3. Chapter 3

**READ A/N ON BOTTOM WHEN FINISHED!**

She was falling! Falling! Alice was falling! She was also screaming... Very loud. As she fell, she dodged the random floating objects and hit the groundn with an, "oof."

Alice sat up and rubbed her back. Her eyes were closed and she felt very light-headed.

"Oh boy," she muttered as she opened her eyes. Everthing was blurry at first and the chandelier was very bright so it blurred her vision even more. After her eyes adjusted, she took in everything. Her deep brown eyes got very wide and she gasped.

The room! With the high ceilings and large table and very small doors that talked! She ran over to the door. "The food! The food! Where's the food?" She looked over at the large table and saw it up there.

Alice climbed the leg of the chair and made it up to the seat. Out of breath, she leaned against the backing of the chair for a few moments. When she got her breath back, she started climbing the chair until she got up to the table. She stepped up walked over to the drink and cake.

"Which one was the one to make you shrink? I think it was the... Pishsalver." She took the cake and stuffed it in her pocket and then took a sip of the drink. She shrunk almost instantly and she jumped off the table onto the chair and from that, she jumped to the floor.

She knocked on the door, but nothing happened. It took a few tries and it finally opened. She stepped inside the wonderful world of Underland.

She started crying again and walked over into the Garden. The Garden that held all of the talking flowers with their happy faces, although, nobody looked happy. Something was wrong.

She started to walk, but instead of the smiling flowers, the flowers wept. She walked up to a blue flower with hints of gold hue. She touched one of the petals. It didn't even look up.

"Hello?" A voice from behind called her. She turned to see a beautiful red and orange flower leaning towards her.

"Oh. Why is everyone sad? This is Wonderland! Everyone should smile!" The flower didn't look at her, she just looked at the ground as Alice spoke.

"Our champion has gone. Gone for a long time. Nothing has been the same since. I was only a little bud at the time, so I don't remember her ever being here." The flower looked up at her with small, sad eyes.

"Who is your champion? Why are they gone?" Alice looked perplexed.

The flower looked at her as if she was crazy. "You don't know who our champion is? It is Alice, of course! Alice Kingsleigh! We need her now more than ever!"

Alice looked shocked. "Champion? I didn't know I was called that."

The flower looked at her with wide eyes. More flowers woke from their trance and looked up.

"_You're _Alice?" The flower asked. As Alice was about to answer, the rest of the flowers began to speak.

"She's back!" "It's her! It's really her!" "Alice! Oh my!"

Alice chuckled and looked back at the flower. "I am. I am Alice. Why would you need me now?"

"Because of the-" A big crash stopped the flower's talking mid-way. The flower's eyes got wide again and she whispered, "Run! Go to Marmoreal and don't stop until you get there!"

Alice didn't think twice. She just ran. She ran and ran. She didn't stop until it started to get dark and she didn't know where she was going. She stopped at a clearing and sat down. She caught her breath and leaned against a rock.

She heard rustling from behind and her first thought was that it would be a bear. She crouched into a ball and backed into the wall.

A boy on a horse came out of the woods and looked her straight in the eye. He got off his horse and began walking towards her.

Alice was scared but she thought to herself. _I am Alice. I am a champion. I killed the Jabberwocky. I can defend myself against a stranger._

She stood tall and walked towards the boy. They met eachother half-way. The boy looked at her suspiciously.

"You look familiar," said the boy. He stared at her until he felt uncomfortable and looked away.

"You don't," countered Alice.

"I don't? Why don't I? Everyone knows me! I am Ace, Prince of Marmoreal." He stood tall and put his hands on his hips.

"Marmoreal? As in the White Prince?" Alice looked excited and she bounced up and down.

"The very same. And you are?"

Alice looked at him with a sparkle in her eye. "I am Alice Kingsleigh!"

"Alice K-Kingsleigh? Our... Champion?" Ace had wide eyes and he stepped back.

"The very same," Alice mimicked. "Can you give me a ride to Marmoreal?"

"Really? You're Alice?" Ace asked, ignoring her question. Alice rolled her eyes. "How do I know you're Alice? Prove it!"

"I don't know how to prove it. But if you brought me to your mother, I'm sure she would recognize me!" Alice started smiling.

"Um... I don't know." Ace stared at her for a while and then walked over to his horse. He got on the back and sat there, staring at her. "You coming?"

Alice smiled and jumped on the back of the horse. They rode through Witzend and were getting close to Marmoreal.

"So what were you doing out here in the dark?" Ace asked.

"I was in the Garden. You know, where the door is? And there was a loud crash and one of the flowers told me to run. So I did." Alice sighed and wondered what had happened to the flowers. Were they okay? There was a long moment before she continued. "What about you?"

"Oh. I was looking for... survivors..." Ace didn't say anything else.

"Survivors? From what?" Alice's heart started to beat very fast.

Ace hesitated for a moment and then the horse stopped suddenly. Alice gasped.

"We are here. And listen, 'Alice'. I can't trust you without fully knowing if you're Alice. So come with me to visit my mother." Ace jumped down from the horse and offered his hand to help her down. She glady accepted and jumped down.

She followed them into the castle. She was smiling the whole time and taking in the scene. People would pass her and give her a double-take. She would wave at them and they would smile back and wave excitedly.

When they got to the stadium, Ace polietly knocked on the doors until they let him in. Alice followed quietly until they were a foot away from Mirana and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She let out a loud squeak as a result of her excitement.

Mirana turned around and smiled at Ace and then looked behind him. She dropped her glass of water and smiled even bigger. She politely pushed Ace out of the way and hugged Alice tightly.

"Oh Alice! You're back! You're back!" Mirana said so loud that more people turned around and gasped. A little doormouse turned around with the rest of the crowd.

"Alice! Alice! Oh Alice!" The dormouse ran towards her and Alice bent to the ground to put her hand out so the mouse could climb into it.

"Hello Mallymkun! I've missed you very much!" Alice gave Mally a small hug and set her on her shoulder.

"Alice! How did you get back? The portal between Underland and Overland has been closed for ages!" Mirana asked, putting her arms around Ace.

"I, uh, fell in. Again." Alice let out a small chuckle and looked from Ace to Mirana. "And you've been busy. I heard he's the... prince?" Alice smiled.

Mirana giggled and said, "This is my son, Ace. My daughter, Ariana, is sleeping. I am married, as you now know. His name is Sean. He is the one in the ring."

Alice looked over at the ring to see a very muscular man fighting with another man, a kingsman, she supposed.

"I am very happy for-" Alice was cut short by someone yelling her name from behind. She turned around to see the Tweedles running towards her. She opened her arms to give them hugs. "Hello, Tweedles! I've missed you also!"

Mally interuppted their welcoming and said, "Can I tell him? I want to tell him! He will be ecstatic!"

Mirana shook her head and put her arm out for Alice to link her arm with. "I think I should take her. You and Ace must go get water for the fighters." Mirana put her hand out for Mally to climb on to jump down.

Mally and Ace shook their heads and Mirana and Alice headed for _his_ room.

As they walked through the castle, Alice reunited with some of her old friends including Bayard, Thackery, McTwisp, and Chessur. Reuniting with them made her feel more at home and before she knew it, she was at his door.

She suddenly got a nevous feeling in her stomach as Mirana knocked on the door. They heard a voice from inside say, "Come in!" His voice made her stomach lurch even more.

As they walked inside, the view of his room was magnificent! There was clothing pieces everywhere, messily, but it made it work. There was fabric pieces hanging in the window, the chandelier and fan, and even stuffed into the bottom of his bed.

He was moving from one creation to another. He would work on a dress for a few moments and then move to a hat and then move to a shirt and back to the dress. It was a never ending cycle and it was funny to watch.

"Tarrant. You have a visitor." Mirana said, making her come back to reality.

"If they are here because they have an order, they have to wait. I am all backed up at the moment. No exceptions." Hatter's words made her heart flutter.

"Not even for me? I thought I could be able to have a dress made by you," Alice said suddenly. Mirana smiled and left without a sound.

Hatter stopped working and stared at his creation, not moving. He slowly turned around and took in Alice's beauty. Alice looked down, trying not to meet his eyes because she feared if she did, he would disappear. Alice turned around and picked up on of his hats.

"This is beautiful, Hatter," Alice said, using his nickname. She turned around and he was standing right there. She couldn't help but stare into his eyes. His eyes changed from a bright green to a loving pink, matching the color that was on Alice's cheeks. "Hello," Alice chuckled.

"A-Alice?" Hatter's eyes got wide with excitement. He poked her and she laughed.

"What are you doing?" She chuckled and smiled. A smile that was really genuine. A smile that hasn't been shown in a few years.

"Checking if you're really here and not another dream," he answered, his smile growing bigger and greater. It was wide enough to be a Cheshire's smile.

"I'm really here, Hatter. I'm back."

Hatter grabbed Alice and pulled her in for a tight embrace. He started jumping up and down, chanting, "You're back! You're back!"

He let Alice go and pulled her back again and gave her kiss on the forehead. That made Alice flush a deep red and she smiled at him.

"I've missed you, Hatter. You don't even know." She hugged him again.

Hatter chuckled and grabbed her hands. "I always knew you would come back"

"Your room! It's magnificent! Just as I remembered!" Alice's smile never faded away.

"Like you," Hatter said simply, and then he pulled her in for another hug.

_A/N: So, guys. You have no clue how happy your comments made me! I was seriously smiling when reading them because you guys actually like my story! Okay, so if you didn't read my bio on my page thing, it said that I want at least 3 comments on each entry. If I don't get that, then I'm not posting another chapter, so please, please, please comment! I hope you liked this chapter! XoXo_


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